Free Falling
by MG12CSI16
Summary: At work they're partners, a relationship built on undying loyalty and a promise. Outside of work they're each other's life lines, the only ones who know them better than they know themselves. And sometimes it takes disaster and near death experiences before they finally realize how much they need each other. Now a two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**Free Falling**

He always knew there would be a time, when his partner would need him for more than just backup. Wether it's because she's sick or she needs a ride to work he knows she'll eventually call. And he's always prepared for it, maybe even more than he should be. Sometimes he thinks if he can be her knight in shining armor she'll start to see him as more than a goofy sidekick or a partner.

And he knows there's always a possibility that when she calls there'll be a problem that's bigger than even the two of them but he hates to think about it, because it just reminds him how real that possibility really is and that anything at any time could take her away from him. So you can imagine how detective Marty Deeks feels when his cell phone rings at three in the morning and Kensi's name lights up on the small screen.

He scrambles to sit upright and grabs the phone off the nightstand before answering. His voice is laced with concern as he answers and asks what's wrong. The voice on the other end doesn't sound like Kensi, it's quiet and strained as if she's fighting back tears but through it all he knows it's his partner.

When she asks him if he can come over he knows somethings wrong but he agrees and tells her he'll be there in ten minutes. After they hang up he runs a hand through his hair before pushing himself off the bed. He bends down and picks his jeans up off the floor before pulling them on and grabbing a fresh T-shirt from his drawer.

He grabs his keys from the table by the front door an quickly gets into his car. His mind is racing as he makes the seven minute drive. He knows she's not hurt because if she was she would have been smart enough to call an ambulance. He wonders if it's work related but then quickly pushes that thought aside because not even Kensi is that obsessed with the job.

He knows that only leaves one other option, she's still thinking about the case they closed and the little girl they didn't save. He remembers all too clearly the blood and the smell of death that hung in the air when they found her. He remembers instinctively reaching a hand out and resting it on Kensi's shoulder, just so she knew he was there.

Her face had given away nothing as she stood there and stared down and the small broken and bloody body, she didn't even blink when the coroner had gently laid a white sheet over her before carrying her away.

When they got back to OPS she insisted she was fine and just wanted to go home and sleep and Deeks, always eager to please his partner let her go without a word. He feels anger and frustration bubble up inside of him and he immediately blames himself for whatever is going on. He doesn't have long to be mad though as he pulls up to Kensi's apartment and swings the car into one of the empty parking spots.

He gets out and walks up the stairs, stopping outside her door and pausing before he gently knocks. There's a moment of silence and he thinks about knocking again until the door softly clicks and Kensi appears with swollen red eyes and dry tears tracks on her pale cheeks.

She's wearing a black tank top and flannel pajama pants and Deeks can't remember a time when she looks more beautiful. She steps back and let's him in before shutting the door behind herself and walking back to the couch, leaving him standing there with his hands awkwardly shoved into his pockets.

He doesn't know what to say because he's never seen her this vulnerable before. Whenever they're together she's cranky, making fun of him or criticizing something, but now she's sitting on her couch in her pajamas gently rocking back and forth as tears spill from her mismatched eyes.

He doesn't know what to do except watch her crack and break, crying loudly and wrapping her slender arms around herself. It's difficult for him to watch and it's not long before he comes to his senses and he's sitting down beside her and pulling her into him as she continues to cry.

Her shoulders shake with each sob and she grips onto his shirt as she cries into his chest. Her hair tickles his nose and he can smell the sweet scent that can only be described Kensi. He continues to hold her as he rubs soothing circles on her back. He can hear her mumble something into his chest and it takes him a few seconds before he realizes what she's saying.

"My fault," he hears through her tears and muffled sobs.

He stops when he hears those words and instantly he draws back and grabs her shoulders, so hard he's surprised he hasn't hurt her. He looks into her eyes and firmly says, "It's not your fault Kens."

He doesn't know if it's because she believes him or because she's too tired to argue but she nods her head before laying it back on his chest. Slowly her sobs subside and are replaced with occasional whimpers and hiccups. Deeks holds her tightly, still rubbing her back with his lips pressed against her hair. It's nearly four thirty in the morning before he hears the soft sound of her snoring and he realizes she's finally fallen asleep.

Carefully he scoops her up and walks down the hallway to her bedroom. He lays her down on her bed and pulls the blanket over her body before he brushes a few curls from her face. He watches her for a few minutes, following the rise and fall of her chest as it brings comfort to him, because he's knows for now she's alright.

When he decides he's had enough he walks back to the living room and sits down on the couch, pulling the duvet off the back and covers himself with it. He grabs the remote off of her coffee table and turns the tv on and mindlessly starts flipping through the channels. It's not long before he hears a soft rustling followed by footsteps coming down the hallway. Kensi appears and without a word lays down on the couch beside him, laying her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes.

He wants to say something but the look of peace on her face changes his mind and he settles for wrapping an arm around her instead. In minutes she's asleep again, with her head now on his chest and her arm wrapped around his waist. Deeks smiles to himself before he closes his eyes and he's joined by sleep, still keeping a firm hold on Kensi because he knows there's no way he's letting go of her now.

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_Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a review!_


	2. Chapter 2

Decided to make this a two parter. Now it's Deeks who needs Kensi's comfort.

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**Free ****Falling**

She almost died today. To some it may not come as a surprise, because they are agents after all. Their lives are filled with impending danger, and they know- _he_ knows, that everyday is a gift, because all it takes is one wrong move for it to become their last. Deeks thinks about it, and as he watches crystal waves meet sandy shores he digs into the pocket of his favorite and slightly torn jeans and pulls out his cell phone. He's had her number memorized for so long he doesn't even think about it, his fingers just know what buttons to press and its only seconds later that he has it pressed to his ear as the dial tone reverberates through his clouded mind. She picks up on the third ring, and at first her voice is hard to read. It's a mixture of annoyance and exhaustion and it makes him smile.

"Hey Fern." his own voice is quieter than usual, wary even because right now he doesn't know what to say, never really does if he thinks about it.

"What do you need Deeks?" This time he hears the old Kensi, the one who sounds genuinely pissed off by the sound of his voice, and a sigh of relief escapes his dry lips.

"Just needed to hear your voice Kens. Been a long day ya know?" She laughs, but it's guarded and quiet and it doesn't sound like her at all.

"I guess it has..." there's a pause and then Kensi speaks again, "where are you?" For a fraction of a second he considers not telling her, not because he doesn't want to see her, but because if he does he's not sure what will happen. But that fraction of a second is soon forgotten and Deeks finds himself giving her his location without so much as a blink of an eye.

"See you in ten," she says and as soon as the low moan of the dial tone echoes in his ear again he drops the phone in the sand and lies back, his hands folded behind his head as he watches the sky. The clouds are painted a mural of purple and orange, and instantly Deeks is taken back to days when he had nothing more than himself to worry about. Now though his days and nights are filled with a sense of worry and an undeniable ache in his gut as he wonders if Kensi made it home from the bar OK, or if she needs someone to talk to after an op goes south.

He closes his eyes and buries his bare toes in the sand, and after what seems like a lifetime later the sound of footsteps can be heard and a small smile tugs at his lips. He can feel her presence before he actually sees her and the air around him becomes clouded with the scent of raspberry shampoo and coffee. He cracks one clear blue eye open to meets her gaze, but his eyes are immediately drawn to the dark purple bruise on her jaw that she's tried to cover with concealer. Anger bubbles up inside of him and he sits up, bracing himself with his hands as he pretends to watch the shore.

"We need to stop meeting up like this," she says, shedding her black leather jacket and revealing a purple tank top. Deeks grins and glances at her.

"What if I don't want to?" he asks quietly, cringing when he realizes that maybe he shouldn't have said it. But Kensi merely shrugs her shoulders and stands before brushing the sand from her jeans and walking to the edge of the water, letting it wash over her toes as she let's out a content sigh. Deeks, for a moment, is mesmerized by the sight and sits with a smile plastered on his face. After a moment he gets up and walks to her side, letting the water wash over his own toes and he wonders why life can't always be this easy, this happy.

"You really had me scared today," he says softly. Kensi tugs her bottom lip between her teeth and nods slowly.

"I know. And I'm sorry. Sometimes I like to think I know what I'm doing. But sometimes.." she trails off with a short laugh and a pitiful shrug of her toned shoulders. Deeks laughs too, for the first time in what felt like a long time. He turns to Kensi and his hand reaches up, fingers gently reaching up and tracing angry the purple bruise. Kensi closes her eyes at the touch but doesn't pull back, doesn't hit him or threaten to rip his arm off and beat him with it, and that gives him hope. His hand retreats back to his side and Deeks feels that ache in his gut slowly ebb away.

"You know this isn't your fault right?" she asks, gesturing to her face and fixing him with a stern glare. Deeks opens his mouth but for some reason the words seem to be stuck in his throat. Kensi sighs and shakes her head but doesn't start the speech he had been waiting for. After a moment's hesitation she takes a step into the ocean, ignoring her now soaked jeans as she takes another and then another until the water has reached her thighs. Deeks is watching with an amused expression until a spray of salt water soaks his grey t-shirt and he can hear Kensi's loud and cackling laughter.

"Really Kens, that's how this is gonna go?" he's met with another symphony of laughter and he charges in the water after her. She splashes water at him and he sputters as the taste of salt fills his mouth and burns his nose and she laughs again. He wishes she would laugh more. For a while life feels like it should. He doesn't worry, doesn't feel the niggling of guilt in his mind because right now Kensi's happy and laughing and the sight is enough for him to forget everything else.

By now the sky has grown dark and they can see the glow of the city behind them as they lay on a blanket from the trunk of Kensi's car. A few stars twinkle faintly above them, and Kensi's eyes light up as she points to them, nudging his shoulder. Deeks smiles at her enthusiasm, reminding him of an overzealous child.

"Kens.."

"Yeah?" Her voice is small, almost childlike as she turns her head and looks at him.

"Thanks." Kensi's eyebrows knit together in confusion, her mismatched eyes pointed narrowly at him.

"For what? Kicking your ass back there?" she asks, pointing to the waves that still gently rolled in and out with a low rumble. Deeks smiles, shakes his head and looks back at the sky.

"Thanks for being here. And thanks for not dying." he adds. Kensi smiles wryly and smacks his chest.

"You're an idiot," she mumbles, "but you're welcome."

Deeks smiles widely and looks at Kensi again. "Don't forget, I'm your idiot."


End file.
